Hong Kong pop star comes out

HONG KONG – Anthony Wong, a Hong Kong based pop star, came out at the end of his concert last week. According to The Wall Street Journal, Wong told the crowd, “People don’t need to guess whether or not I’m a tongzhi [Chinese slang for homosexual] anymore,” he said on the last night of his concert series at the Hong Kong Coliseum. “I’m saying I’m gay. I’m a homosexual. G-A-Y.”

The crowd greeted Wong’s announcement with cheers as the singer and producer followed his admission with a jab at the city’s paparazzi. “I’m sorry, members of the media. For the next 20 years, I’ll keep singing songs, but you don’t need to ask me this question any longer,” he said.

The WSJ reported that Wong’s announcement might not have shocked Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, which has long speculated about the singer’s sexual orientation, but the boldness of his announcement was still unusual. Mr. Wong, who first gained popularity in the ’80s as a music icon as part of the duo Tat Ming Pair, is only the second high-profile Hong Kong performer to publicly come out. The first, actor and singerLeslie Cheung, jumped to his death from the 24th floor of Hong Kong’s Mandarin Hotel, during a bout of severe depression.

Commenting on Wong’s announcement, Waiwai Yeo of the nonprofit gay-rights organization Women’s Coalition of Hong Kong said, “It’s been nine years since we’ve seen a singer announce publicly that he’s openly gay or openly bisexual. So Mr. Wong’s announcement is a good sign.”